ianw Posted 12 October , 2003 Share Posted 12 October , 2003 I am afraid I know next to nothing about cap badges. I have studied my MGC badge and think it is period , based on years of coin collecting experience . The loop suspension mounted on the crown has verdigris above it and it just looks "right". The same junk box yielded a pretty bi-metal Worcester Yeomanry badge and an A.R.P whistle, so I think it was a lucky day. Unfortunately the macro feature on my cheap dig. camera will not give a sharp photo of the MGC badge so I will not post the blurred image it produces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 12 October , 2003 Share Posted 12 October , 2003 Sounds like a good sign to me - I am hoping to have one of those lucky days next week when I shall be selling at a fair! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Fisher Posted 12 October , 2003 Share Posted 12 October , 2003 ianw - did the Worcs Yeomanry badge look right, feel right, have some wear and dirt - and a maker's name on the slider? I trawled through a load of badges and found three of these with Marples and Beasley stamped sliders, all in the same box..... Alarm bells ringing? I hope not, and hope you dropped lucky on some nice stuff. Cheers Graeme the pessimist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbrydon Posted 13 October , 2003 Share Posted 13 October , 2003 I have followed with interest and not a little amusement the discusions on this topic.The subject of restrike badges has been around since the early 1900s when Fox and Co obtained the dies for Pre 1880 Glengary badges ( see Kipling and King Vol 1) and started to produce badges from them. A completely new collectors society was formed in 1973 from members of The Military Historcal Society who dissatisfied with that societys attitude to restike badges formed Crown Imperial. I have collected badges seriously for over 30 years but would not call myself an expert on restike badges although an article on restrike of the Kings Regt by me was published in the Crown Imperial magazine in Autumn 1998. If somebody said they were thinking of starting to collect cap badges my advice would be DONT. 30 years ago it was difficult to find a genuine cap badge of for example the 10 Kings Regt ( Liverpool Scottish ) today many dealers have examples for sale. The only advice I can give is beware of so called experts.Badges were made by a variety of manufacturers because one badge isnt identical to another dosnt mean its not genuine. ( I have at least half a dozen different strikes of Kings Liverpool pre 1926 cap badges ) I have bought badges from experts which turned out to be spurious,I have known well known figures in the collecting world who have offered well known restikes as genuine items. In times of war soldiers wore whatever was available.In WW1 recruits to the Liverpool Scottish were issued with 8th ( Scottish ) V.B. Glengarry badges ,in WW2 the Cheshire Yeomanry issued old Cheshire Imperial Yeomanry badges.The quality of some badges made and issued abroad was unbelievably poor. Genuine examples of scarce badges change hands for large amounts of folding money,if somebody is offering large numbers of scarce badges for a few pounds each at least be suspicious ,the same as when somebody is sellling multiple items and dosnt seem to know the true description of what they have. From personal experience I have found items offered on Speedbid tend to be more the sort of items collectors would be happy with than those offered on other web auction sites. At the end of the day you pays your money and takes your chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 13 October , 2003 Share Posted 13 October , 2003 Graeme, Whilst I generally share your pessimism, the yeomanry badge does not appear to be from the batch you describe. It has 2 loops and one of those split pins through them - sorry for my woeful ignorance of what these things are called by you experts. Again there is some verdigris on the point where the pin has been in contact with a loop mount. The pear blossom is in silver metal and appears to be one of the post 1913 pattern which I found illustrated on a website last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Fisher Posted 14 October , 2003 Share Posted 14 October , 2003 ianw - well done. Sounds as tho' you've been lucky, I wish... My friend Mr Brydon is well known to Crown Imperial members - can I suggest to the insignia collecting element of the forum that membership of this organisation is no bad thing - no elitism here, and a genuine and warm bunch who share their knowledge freely. If you collect badges, for the cost of two or three restrikes, join up. It's worth it. Peter Brydon's comments are as true as anything I've read anywhere - there is no real right and wrong in the capbadge world, and without provenance you are always at the mercy of innocence, ignorance and pure greed. Funny really, that there are few areas of interest that have such potential for being done over as the world of badges. And for what? A few quid to the thieves that pass off tat as one of the few tangible mementoes of Grandad's 'bit' in the Great War. I don't think this thread will provide a definitive answer to the issue of real or fake, but hope we all manage to avoid being stung too often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 14 October , 2003 Share Posted 14 October , 2003 When it all comes down to it, experience (whether bad or good), usually gained through making mistakes, is about the best way to tell real from fake. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Dixon Posted 15 October , 2003 Share Posted 15 October , 2003 I wish I had read this sooner! I was fleeced for a Sherwood Foresters cap badge that is about as real as Aston Villa's chances of winning the Champions League! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A Mafia Man Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 Hopefully these pictures will show how some of these 'genuine' badges are fashioned & made & illustrate some of the points being made. If the more experienced members of the forum have seen this type before I apologise. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest A Mafia Man Posted 16 October , 2003 Share Posted 16 October , 2003 Here is the reverse side of the same badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hussar Posted 17 October , 2003 Share Posted 17 October , 2003 A the moment on ebay, there is someone selling 3 badges, RE, RAMC and RA and all three have an M on them. Does anyone know what this denotes? Ebay Item number: 3247080368 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 17 October , 2003 Share Posted 17 October , 2003 Some interesting stuff here, which will be of use to those who want to pick through the minefields on ebay. Out of interest Ian, the badge you have to the 'Canadian Forestry Corps' is in fact a badge to the 238th Canadian Infantry Battalion ('Canadian Forestry Battalion') which was raised at Valcartier on 15th July 1915 and had a strenght of 1,081 all ranks. It was later absorbed by the Canadian Forestry Corps, who had a different badge to this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffsyeoman Posted 17 October , 2003 Share Posted 17 October , 2003 Yes - it indicates that they were worn by Militia units, which by 1930 had become supporting arms only. They had their own Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, instituted 1904 replaced by the Efficiency Medal with 'Militia' suspender [i've got one of those to the Corps Military Police] in 1930; this was awarded until 1951 when the units were absorbed into the Army Supplementary Reserve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hussar Posted 17 October , 2003 Share Posted 17 October , 2003 Thanks Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 17 October , 2003 Share Posted 17 October , 2003 Some interesting stuff here, which will be of use to those who want to pick through the minefields on ebay. Out of interest Ian, the badge you have to the 'Canadian Forestry Corps' is in fact a badge to the 238th Canadian Infantry Battalion ('Canadian Forestry Battalion') which was raised at Valcartier on 15th July 1915 and had a strenght of 1,081 all ranks. It was later absorbed by the Canadian Forestry Corps, who had a different badge to this one. Paul, Thanks for that. It actually belongs to my wife! - It was given to her great-aunt who worked with the CFC as a Secretary. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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